.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The view is taken from Lord Northwick's villa, The Park, at the top of Harrow on the Hill looking south-west across to London with St. Paul's Cathedral and the towers of Westminster just visible in the far distance. Daniel Lyson's The Environs of London, published in 1811, states that 'Flambards is now the property and seat of Lord Northwick, who purchased the estate after Mr. Page's death, and finished, upon a more enlarged scale, the house which had been begun by that Gentleman; the pleasure grounds, which, as well as the house, are very beautifully situated, have also been much improved.' The name Flambards comes from the 14th century manor farm which stood in a park, later landscaped by Capability Brown in the 18th century and which was demolished in 1884. When John, 2nd Lord Northwick (1770-1859) acquired the estate from Mr. Page in 1807, he set about completing the building of a new house called The Park (embarked on by Mr. Page in 1797). In 1823 the furniture of Lord Northwick's villa was sold at auction indicating that he was no longer occupying the house, which he subsequently sold along with the Park estate in 1826.
During his life, Lord Northwick (1770-1859) put together a very distinguished collection of paintings by Old Masters and contemporary artists, prints, coins, miniatures, enamels and other objects which were mostly housed at Northwick Park, his home near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire where he built a gallery in 1832. When this became too small he purchased Thirlestane House in Cheltenham to which he allowed access to connoisseurs who wished to see the collection. He also had a gallery at Connaught Place in London. Lord Northwick commissioned John Glover to paint several landscapes, one room at Thirlestane being devoted to his work. Although the present painting was previously described as View of Northwick Park, this was an erroroneous assumption based on provenance. Three other views of Harrow by the artist are recorded as having been sold by Lord Northwick at Christie's in 1838. Lord Northwick died unmarried and intestate and his property was divided between three next of kin. Thirlestane and the famous collections were sold in 1859. Some of Glover's works including this picture were bought back by the successor to the title, George, 3rd Lord Northwick and taken back to Northwick Park. A View of Harrow Hill from Lord Northwick's collection is recorded in the collection of Beriah Botfield (cf. B. Botfield, Catalogue of Pictures at Norton Hall, London, 1863, p.13). On the death of Lord Northwick's descendant, Captain E.G. Spencer, in 1965, Christie's held a series of sales which included this picture and eight other landscapes by the artist.
After resigning from the Society of Painters in Oils and Watercolours at the end of 1817, Glover found himself with few exhibition opportunities. Apart from the annual (but 'out of season') British Institution showing of the works of living artists, the only available, prestigious venue was the Royal Academy, but after an unsuccessful bid for R.A. membership in 1818, Glover never submitted work for the annual Academy's annual exhibitions. Nevertheless, his reputation and patronage were already well established by this time, sufficiently so for him to venture out on his own. Such entrepreneural independence, once inconceivable, was now both professionally acceptable and economically feasible. In 1821, the London public was able to see single-artist exhibitions of the work of artists such as Sir Benjamin West and Sir Thomas Lawrence. From 1820 until 1824, Glover staged an annual solo exhibition at 16 Old Bond Street, after which he helped to establish and become a regular exhibitor with the Society of British Artists.
The present painting was first exhibited at Glover's second exhibition in 1821, the show where the artist famously hung works by his idol, Claude Lorrain and by Claude's British follower Richard Wilson alongside his own. The experiment was not unsuccessful. The Magazine of the Fine Arts enthused that 'we can look at Mr. Glover's works without any dimunition of pleasure, after contemplating the works of Claude and Wilson'.
At the height of his English career, Glover was a prolific artist. Landscape painting remained the core of his heart with the park view being an important part of his oeuvre. The present picture and lot 38 were the kind of pictures that ensured Glover's popularity: classical without being too intellectual, Italianate without losing its Englishness, pastoral without great evidence of labour, detailed without loss of overall harmony, and green without being as green as nature.
Amongst the reviews, an article in the Literary Chronicle reported 'View from Lord Northwick's House at Harrow, with London in the distance is a charming picture: the boldness of the foliage, which seems to rise from the canvas, and the neatness with which it is executed, would almost persuade us that every leaf has been an object of the artist's care, did we not know, that he paints with the utmost facility and expedition'. Glover's rival John Constable was less impressed. In a letter to Charles Leslie written some ten years later, he compared the merits of the Lords Essex and Northwick as patrons, concluding that 'Lord Northwick is a better creature - but esteemed 'our own' Glover too much, for to like 'our disowned Constable'. The picture he had of Glover's the foreground of which consisted of one hundred flower pots 'all in a row' - as thus (sketch). The sun was shining bright on them - but they cast no shadow'. As so often, and particularly with regard to Glover, Constable's remarks have a bitter edge of simultaneous superiority and envy. This attitude seems to have blinded him not only to Glover's qualities, but to pictorial fact; the shadows of the flowerpots are in fact visible.
In 1830, John Glover followed his sons to Van Diemens Land, now Tasmania, where he continued to produce popular European views as well as Australian subjects until his death in 1849.
The Park was acquired by Harrow School in 1831 and is still used by the school today. The view now extends over Park Lake, the school's playing fields and golf course. The green undulating landscape shown in the picture has been replaced with rows of suburban houses. This picture and lot 38, a view from Greenwich by the artist, is one of a number of pure landscape works produced on the doorstep of the capital at the the begining of the 19th century. Other artists who produced memorable rural works within sight of the capital were John Linnell, Samuel Palmer, George Richmond and John Constable.
We are grateful for David Hansen, Senior Curator of Art, Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery and Rita Gibbs, Archivist at Harrow School, for their help in cataloguing this entry.
During his life, Lord Northwick (1770-1859) put together a very distinguished collection of paintings by Old Masters and contemporary artists, prints, coins, miniatures, enamels and other objects which were mostly housed at Northwick Park, his home near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire where he built a gallery in 1832. When this became too small he purchased Thirlestane House in Cheltenham to which he allowed access to connoisseurs who wished to see the collection. He also had a gallery at Connaught Place in London. Lord Northwick commissioned John Glover to paint several landscapes, one room at Thirlestane being devoted to his work. Although the present painting was previously described as View of Northwick Park, this was an erroroneous assumption based on provenance. Three other views of Harrow by the artist are recorded as having been sold by Lord Northwick at Christie's in 1838. Lord Northwick died unmarried and intestate and his property was divided between three next of kin. Thirlestane and the famous collections were sold in 1859. Some of Glover's works including this picture were bought back by the successor to the title, George, 3rd Lord Northwick and taken back to Northwick Park. A View of Harrow Hill from Lord Northwick's collection is recorded in the collection of Beriah Botfield (cf. B. Botfield, Catalogue of Pictures at Norton Hall, London, 1863, p.13). On the death of Lord Northwick's descendant, Captain E.G. Spencer, in 1965, Christie's held a series of sales which included this picture and eight other landscapes by the artist.
After resigning from the Society of Painters in Oils and Watercolours at the end of 1817, Glover found himself with few exhibition opportunities. Apart from the annual (but 'out of season') British Institution showing of the works of living artists, the only available, prestigious venue was the Royal Academy, but after an unsuccessful bid for R.A. membership in 1818, Glover never submitted work for the annual Academy's annual exhibitions. Nevertheless, his reputation and patronage were already well established by this time, sufficiently so for him to venture out on his own. Such entrepreneural independence, once inconceivable, was now both professionally acceptable and economically feasible. In 1821, the London public was able to see single-artist exhibitions of the work of artists such as Sir Benjamin West and Sir Thomas Lawrence. From 1820 until 1824, Glover staged an annual solo exhibition at 16 Old Bond Street, after which he helped to establish and become a regular exhibitor with the Society of British Artists.
The present painting was first exhibited at Glover's second exhibition in 1821, the show where the artist famously hung works by his idol, Claude Lorrain and by Claude's British follower Richard Wilson alongside his own. The experiment was not unsuccessful. The Magazine of the Fine Arts enthused that 'we can look at Mr. Glover's works without any dimunition of pleasure, after contemplating the works of Claude and Wilson'.
At the height of his English career, Glover was a prolific artist. Landscape painting remained the core of his heart with the park view being an important part of his oeuvre. The present picture and lot 38 were the kind of pictures that ensured Glover's popularity: classical without being too intellectual, Italianate without losing its Englishness, pastoral without great evidence of labour, detailed without loss of overall harmony, and green without being as green as nature.
Amongst the reviews, an article in the Literary Chronicle reported 'View from Lord Northwick's House at Harrow, with London in the distance is a charming picture: the boldness of the foliage, which seems to rise from the canvas, and the neatness with which it is executed, would almost persuade us that every leaf has been an object of the artist's care, did we not know, that he paints with the utmost facility and expedition'. Glover's rival John Constable was less impressed. In a letter to Charles Leslie written some ten years later, he compared the merits of the Lords Essex and Northwick as patrons, concluding that 'Lord Northwick is a better creature - but esteemed 'our own' Glover too much, for to like 'our disowned Constable'. The picture he had of Glover's the foreground of which consisted of one hundred flower pots 'all in a row' - as thus (sketch). The sun was shining bright on them - but they cast no shadow'. As so often, and particularly with regard to Glover, Constable's remarks have a bitter edge of simultaneous superiority and envy. This attitude seems to have blinded him not only to Glover's qualities, but to pictorial fact; the shadows of the flowerpots are in fact visible.
In 1830, John Glover followed his sons to Van Diemens Land, now Tasmania, where he continued to produce popular European views as well as Australian subjects until his death in 1849.
The Park was acquired by Harrow School in 1831 and is still used by the school today. The view now extends over Park Lake, the school's playing fields and golf course. The green undulating landscape shown in the picture has been replaced with rows of suburban houses. This picture and lot 38, a view from Greenwich by the artist, is one of a number of pure landscape works produced on the doorstep of the capital at the the begining of the 19th century. Other artists who produced memorable rural works within sight of the capital were John Linnell, Samuel Palmer, George Richmond and John Constable.
We are grateful for David Hansen, Senior Curator of Art, Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery and Rita Gibbs, Archivist at Harrow School, for their help in cataloguing this entry.